What improvements did Tampa make to prevent pedestrian accidents?
Tampa’s Vision Zero program has helped reduce traffic fatalities in the city and received national praise for its effective use of federal funds to create structures that have helped prevent pedestrian accidents and other types of motor vehicle accidents in Tampa.
"While even one death is too many, we've seen a significant reduction in traffic fatalities thanks to our commitment to Vision Zero,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement published recently by Tampa.gov. “These numbers show that our efforts are making a difference. We are determined to continue leading the way in smart, data-driven infrastructure improvements."
Vision Zero Program in Tampa – what is it?
As the name suggests, the goal of Vision Zero Tampa is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the city to zero. “Even one deadly crash is too many,” the Vision Zero Tampa website says. “Vision Zero is the City of Tampa’s effort to eliminate all roadway deaths and life-altering injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.”
Recent Vision Zero improvements in Tampa
From 2022 to 2023, Tampa received $22.6 million in federal grant funding as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These funds were given to Tampa in an effort to transform the city “towards safer and smarter streets,” according to Tampa.gov.
In particular, some of these funds were spent on “Quick Build” projects, which are city infrastructure improvement projects that can be built quickly and rapidly. In particular, protected bike lanes were built on Cass Street, along with additional bike lanes on The Avenida Republica de Cuba (14th Street).
Future infrastructure improvements slated for Tampa
Along with the recent protected bike lanes built in Tampa, city officials plan to build a total of 17 “Quick Build” projects by 2027 along with other “larger-scale endeavors” by 2028, according to Tampa officials quoted by Tampa.gov.
One future Quick Build project slated for Tampa includes creating a protected bike lane on Cleveland Street between Willow Avenue and Parker Street, according to Vision Zero Tampa’s description of the infrastructure improvement project. In particular, the website notes:
“The Vision Zero Action Plan identified Cleveland Street as part of the City's High Injury Network. The High Injury Network is the network of roads where the majority of the deadly and life-altering injury crashes occur. This project proposes reallocating a vehicle travel lane to create a parking separated bike lane.”
Pedestrian fatalities decreased dramatically in the Tampa area
Recent infrastructure improvements in the Tampa area have made a dramatic impact by helping to reduce the number of fatal pedestrian accidents. In particular, pedestrian fatalities in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area decreased to 53 deaths in 2023 compared to 77 deaths in 2022, according to Tampa.gov.
This decrease in pedestrian fatalities was critical since the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area was ranked the the fourth most dangerous metropolitan area in the country for pedestrians in 2022.
Injured pedestrians have legal rights
Pedestrian accidents in Tampa or another part of Florida might seem straightforward at first. This is especially true if a driver clearly broke the law and hit you while you were crossing the street. But many straightforward cases often turn into complicated legal battles. This is because there’s often a lot of money at stake. Rather than simply paying injury victims the money they deserve; many insurance companies do everything they can to reduce or deny injury claims.
An experienced Tampa pedestrian accident lawyer at Armando Personal Injury Law can help you every step of the way. We know how the legal system works in Florida when it comes to pedestrian accidents. And we will do everything we can to demand the money you deserve.
Get a law firm that isn’t afraid to stand up to the insurance company and fight for you. Contact us and schedule a free case evaluation. Our office is located on East 5th Avenue in Tampa, and we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you only have to pay us if we secure a financial settlement or verdict for you.